Naruto: Ninja World Revolution
by bmidd111
Summary: It is 2016. Virtual Reality games have finally been created. A new Naruto VR game has just been released to the public, "Naruto: Ninja World Revolution!" . But when things go wrong, and everyone ends up trapped in the game, the 26 winners must work together to free everyone and win!
1. Chapter 1

**_Bethany Middleton was excited. A new VRMMORPG, or Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game called "Naruto: Ninja World Revolution" had recently been released to the public. There was also a competition online, and it seemed like everyone around the world had entered. Bethany, being the dedicated fan of the anime that she was, wasted no time entering the competition. What was so important about this, you ask? Well, to stop every man and his dog from choosing the main characters to play as, only the 26 highest scores could play as one of the main characters of the series, the rest would be able to customize their own characters._**

 ** _The young woman made sure to have all the equipment needed to play the game, so as soon as she got the results, she would be able to enter the: Ninja world!_**

Bethany sat at her computer, looking through her E-mails. She still didn't know how to check them, so she had her Daddy show her again, then kept them open so she could check. She knew that if she'd won the competition, they'd send her an E-mail with a notification, and her new character. Suddenly something caught her eye. It was titled: NNWR. That was the abbreviated version of Naruto: Ninja World Revolution! Heart pounding with anticipation and excitement, she moved the curser to click on the message.

 _'Congratulations, you are one of only twenty-six players to have won our character competition, please see below for the character we have picked out for you, also, feel free to brush up on his or her stats before you begin the game. Thank you, and have fun in the "Ninja World"!'_

Bethany gaped at the screen. She couldn't believe her luck. She'd really won, hadn't she? Grinning, the young woman scrolled down to see who'd been picked out for her. When she saw who it was, her grin turned 80-watts. She ran out of the room, "Daddy, Daddy, guess what?" she cried as she knocked on his bedroom door.

"Come in!" he called. Bethany opened her father's bedroom door. Paul Middleton was on his computer, but he looked up to see why she was so excited, "you remember that Naruto game with the character competition?" she asked. Paul nodded, "of course, I entered it too, and?" the young woman giggled, "I just got the results back, and I won!" she cried, jumping up and down with excitement. Paul looked slightly shocked, "really?" Bethany nodded happily. Her father looked back at his computer screen, "I just checked my E-mails, and I won too" he explained. Bethany gasped, "awesome! What character did you get?" She asked, curious. "Jiriya" he said, "and you?" she chuckled, "the most awesome girl character in the whole Naruto universe, Kushina Uzumaki, Dattebene!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, with a thumbs up.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

After plugging in, Bethany logged on. A female voice was heard through the headset. "Welcome to the Naruto world, please enter your User Name, Password and character name to start. If you need to create your own character, press down in the air and your starter menu will appear. Then just click on the create character option to customize your character" Bethany reached out to the virtual keypad and typed her User Name and password. When she got to character name, she giggled as she typed in: Kushina Uzumaki. A soft 'ding' was heard as she pressed enter, and a bright light blinded her.

When she opened her eyes again, Bethany found herself standing on a hill in the middle of a dirt road. Reaching down, she picked up a pinch of dirt and looked at it- it felt just like real dirt. "Wow," she breathed, "when they say Virtual reality, they mean Virtual 'reality'!" Letting the grains fall through her fingers, the young woman examined herself. (Not like that, for all you perverts out their) slender arms, legs, body, pale skin of course. Reaching behind her back, Bethany pulled some of her long hair forward. Yep, that's the Uzumaki vibrant red aright. But, did she seem a bit short for Kushina? Examining herself once again, Bethany found herself wearing the same outfit that Kushina wore to the academy, that is, a short yellow sleeveless dress with a green sash around her waist, a short sleeved fishnet under-shirt, black shorts that peeked out from under her dress and brown Shinobi sandals.

She sighed, and clenched her fist in frustration, something that "Kushina" would defiantly do. _'No, don't mention the fact that you start from the beginning, and have to enter the Academy, and are a kid, and basically everything you need to know before you start!'_ she thought. Bethany sighed again, and lowered her hand, relaxing and unclenching it. Well, better to make the most of it while she could. The young woman turned young girl walked down the path, softly singing a song from one of the Naruto movies. It was Hikari Ni Wa.

As she walked over a hill, she saw the Village Hidden in the Leaves spread out before her. Bethany smiled, "I'm going to be the best Shinobi ever, Dattebene!" she exclaimed, then walked down to the village. As she walked, Bethany had a thought, _'even though this is a game, Kushina did become Kurama's Jinchuriki host, does that mean that I, as Kushina Uzumaki will have to become a Jinchuriki?'_ this worried her slightly. She stopped at the gate, and the two guards looked at her. Ah! Did she have to have some kind of identification? Would they attack her if she didn't?! "um, I'm Kushina Uzumaki, I'm, uh, supposed to be here" she tried to sound as casual as possible.

To her relief the guards merely nodded and waved her through. The young woman released a sigh of relief that she didn't know she'd been holding and entered through the large structure. Looking around, Bethany was surprised by how deserted the village seemed to be. She decided to start searching for her father. He said his character was Jiriya, and the Toad sage shouldn't be too hard to find. Walking through the peaceful village, Bethany was relieved when she saw other characters walking around as well. She stopped as she saw the Hokage mountain. Three carved faces looked back at her. The first Hokage, looking powerful and kind, the second Hokage, looking decidedly stern and formal and the third Hokage with a gentle but protective gaze loomed over the village.

The young woman felt a strange sense of calm wash over her as she looked at the village hero's. She smiled happily, everything would be okay, she was sure of it. _*Bong, bong, bong, bong*,_ the deep resonating sound of a klaxon broke through her thoughts, causing her to whirl around, along with everyone else in the street. The sound seemed to be everywhere at once, yet far away. Bethany began to run toward where the sound was coming from, the village centre. When she arrived, she found the other 25 winners all crowded around the giant tree of the Hidden Village. "Bethany, is that you?" called a familiar voice. Looking around, the young woman found herself face to face with a Seven year old Jiriya.

"Daddy?," she asked, "that's you, right?" Jiriya, or Paul nodded, "yeah, it's me alright, what's up with that klaxon though?" he wondered aloud. Bethany shook her head and looked around, "I don't know," she shivered violently, "but I have a bad feeling about this". Just then, the klaxon stopped. People began to talk quietly among themselves, wondering what was going on. Suddenly a clap of thunder louder and more ear-piercing than anything from the real world broke through the worried chatter. People gasped, one person screamed, and enormous billowing black storm clouds spread across the sky at an incredible pace. Thunder rumbled ominously through the air, and some of the clouds merged together to form a giant figure in the sky, a figure who was clad in a black and silver cloak.

Both Bethany and Paul stared up with fear, and could only watch, as the figure spoke. "Greetings 26, only you have gained the privilege of being the characters you are now. For this moment, you are the only ones who can protect your village, and protect it well. If the village is destroyed, you all die, and any who die will never live again, either in this, or any world," Bethany's eyes widened, that didn't mean that- "in case you haven't worked it out yet, that means that if anyone were to die in here, either you, or any civilian, you're bodies in the real world will perish as well" many people gasped with horror, this wasn't a game, this was suicide!

"To be released from this game alive, you all must reach level 1000 in skill, yes you may choose which skills you acquire, but you only get a certain number of points per skill, once you gain all points for that skill, your level will increase as per the number of points. Be wise in choosing skills, as you will become stronger far faster with the right combination of them, but you only get so many of them. And of course Jutsu don't count in your skills menu, so you can obtain an unlimited number of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu techniques. As for the civilians, if all 26 of you were to clear the game the others would all be freed along with you. By completing missions you will gain experience points that will help you learn more skills faster. These missions also allow you to earn money that will help you in gaining food, weapons, living quarters and more. Good luck young Shinobi and Kunoichi, you will need it".

With that, the black robed figure vanished, the sky returned to normal and suddenly the village was full of civilians, going about their daily activities. There was only one thought going through Bethany's mind at that moment, a thought which she decided to voice out loud: "oh, shit".

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

After the floating cloaked figure had vanished, the village had filled with civilian characters. Judging by what the figure, which Bethany had dubbed 'cloak', had said, these were all real people too. People who were trapped in the game, just like them. If that were true, at least some of them had to know what was going on in the real world. Bethany walked up to an elderly woman, "excuse me ma'am, do you happen to know what's going on in the real world right now?" she asked. The woman looked confused, "real world?" she asked. Bethany nodded, "yes, the real world, you know, how this world is a virtual reality game?" at the woman's confused expression, Bethany's shoulders sank, "ah, never mind, I'm sorry for bothering you ma'am" she said slowly, walking away.

Around the virtual "Konoha" the 26 were all attempting to find information about the real world, what was going on, if anyone had noticed that things were very wrong with the game. But everyone they asked either didn't know what they were talking about, or almost literally ran away from them, no doubt thinking them insane. Near sunset that day, the character players all met up just outside the Hidden Leaf forests, it being quiet and the least likely place to draw attention. Bethany looked around at everyone that was there. Including her and Paul, who was a young Jiriya, there were many other characters from the series, all children.

Bethany stood in front of them all, "everyone, please calm down, I know this is hard for everyone, but we must stick together right now" all the people who were gathered their quieted and listened, "we all heard what Cloak said, the only way to escape this game is to level up, so what we should all do is to enter the academy and learn as much as we can, we must gain skills if we want to survive," everyone was quiet, thinking this over, then Bethany spoke again "I know it's a lot to ask of you all, I mean, risking your life isn't something many of us do on a daily basis," at this many of the players began nodding their heads in agreement, "some of you may not want to risk your lives at all, while at the same time others may be relishing the excitement and thrill of battle," a few nodded their heads, while others looked worried.

Bethany took a deep breath, "but I'm afraid that is no longer your choice to make," she lowered her head in sadness for those poor people who would be forced to fight against their wishes. Then she looked up, determination lighting her eyes, "this does not mean that any of you should take on missions expecting to die, far from it, many missions would not involve fighting, and others would not require you to leave the village at all, and while this would mean that you would not have to spend your every waking moment watching your back, this does not mean you can spend your time goofing off and being lazy!" she exclaimed, causing everyone to flinch, and some to sit up straighter. Paul, on the other hand was speechless, he always knew that Bethany wasn't good at giving speeches, but something about being in the game, or maybe being Kushina had given her a great deal of confidence, not to mention a kind of strength that he'd never seen before.

"We must use this time to choose the skills that will bring you the most amount of points, and also the ones that you want to learn. If it's true that each skill only has a certain amount of points, then you need to choose ones that you like, are comfortable with, and will also give you the most amount of points, they are essential if we want to become stronger and leave here sooner, but do not become so engrossed in the life of a Shinobi that you lose yourself, we must protect all those who cannot protect themselves, understand?! This is no longer just a game, and we should no longer be concerned about only ourselves, we will survive, and protect all those who are precious to us!" As she finished speaking, there was a kind of hushed awe around the clearing. Whoever this girl was, she was a natural with inspirational speeches.

Meanwhile, one player was watching Bethany with more than just awe. A boy with spiky blond hair, two bangs hanging down to his chin and bright blue eyes stared at the young Uzumaki. She was defiantly strong both in will and spirit. But what about her physical strength? Bethany nodded, "alright, let's get some sleep, tomorrow we'll see about finding some temporary lodgings until we can build up enough money to buy houses, okay?" she asked. Everyone nodded and set about preparing the forest floor for sleep. It wasn't very comfortable, and the night air was cold, but at least there weren't any dangerous animals around to worry about. Gathering some twigs and sticks, Bethany used two stones to make a spark. She'd never tried making a fire before, but she wanted to learn for when she had missions.

Suddenly a spark from the two stones caught the small pile. Gently blowing to make the flames stronger, Bethany placed some larger sticks on the flames. Soon a decent sized fire was crackling merrily before her. Bethany smiled with pride, she did it! Paul grinned, "great job Bethany" he said happily. Just then a small screen appeared in front of the red-head. Words were written on it: 'Congratulations! Fire making skill: level 1, number of skills acquired: 1, skill points gained: 6' the young woman/little girl's grin became wider, she'd obtained her first skill! That was defiantly one that would be useful. After the screen vanished, Bethany and Paul settled down for the night, along with everyone else.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

The next day dawned too soon for the 26, and they all got up wearily. Bethany yawned, she was by no means a morning person. After kicking dirt over the camp fire, Bethany and all the others went and found a stream. After washing up, Bethany told the others she was going into the village to look for a good weapon shop, then she would go to the Hokage to ask about apartments. Paul decided to go with her. Minato watched them go, wondering about Kushina. As Bethany and her father walked through the village looking for a place to buy supplies, Paul looked around at the 'villagers'.

"It's sad to think that none of these people remember their lives outside this game, that they don't remember their families" he remarked. Bethany looked around sadly, it wasn't fair for all these innocent people to be dragged into this. "I know, but if we win, then all of these people will be saved" she said, turning to smile at her father. Bethany stopped. The shop in front of her read: "Yuzuki's weapon shop, the best bargains in the Leaf" The young woman thought for a moment, this place looked promising. "In here, Daddy", she said, catching her father's attention, and pointing to the shop, before walking in.

The inside of the shop was filled with weapons, from swords, to spears, daggers, to kunai. And not just bladed weapons either. There were weapons on the walls, benches, some in glass display cases. Bethany and Paul could only gasp as they stared around the shop. The sound of footsteps could be heard throughout the store and a fairly young man appeared. He gave a friendly smile at them, glad to have customers, "hello there, what can I do for you young ones today?" he asked. Bethany waved dismissively, "oh no, we're just browsing really, don't mind us" she said, and went back to looking around. Paul was gazing curiously at a medium length curved sword. Bethany walked up to it and tapped the air in front of the weapon. A screen appeared in front of it, and both father and daughter read the description: "Tachi, a type of sword once used by the samurai, this is the perfect style of weapon to be used by mid to close-range fighters" Paul nodded and picked the blade up, holding it in different positions, "feels good," he said, holding it in a reverse grip.

Bethany nodded, and looked again at the selections of weapons. One in particular caught her eye. It was a Gunbai. Reaching out, the girl tapped the air above it and checked the description. 'Gunbai, very versatile in battle, this War Fan can be used as a number of things, from a blade to a shield to and hammer. This model is also made of Chakra conductive metal and can be infused with Chakra to perform wind-based attacks'. The red-haired girl grinned and picked it up. It was heavy, but not so much that she wouldn't be able to adjust to it's weight through training. Kushina turned to her father, "I'm gonna get this!" she exclaimed, still grinning. Paul frowned slightly, "are you sure? what if Madara gets jealous?" he asked. the red-haired girl shrugged, "nothing's stopping him from buying one as well" she replied. "Besides, I want to be as versatile as possible" the red-haired girl replied. Her father sighed and shrugged, "alright, it's your choice Kushina" he said.

Both pre-Genin then went about buying their chosen weapons.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Paul and Bethany walked up to the Hokage tower, they still needed to ask the village leader about houses for the 26, however temporary. After getting permission from the guards to enter, the two were led along a circular hall. When they got to the end of the hall they found a door that obviously led to the Hokage's office. Bethany knocked on the door, and, after hearing the muffled reply of "enter" opened the door without hesitation. Bethany stared at the old man as he came into view, the Third was probably just a computer controlled character, instead of a player.

"Ah, Kushina-Chan, I've been wondering when you would get here, please have a seat" he said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of them. Paul and Bethany sat, waiting for the Third to speak. The old man let out a weary sigh, "now Kushina-Chan, I'm assuming you know why you have been brought to this village?" he asked. Bethany's eyelids lowered slightly, "no Hokage-Sama, I don't" she said in an almost toneless voice. Sarutobi sighed again, and spread his hands over the surface of his desk, "Kushina, you are the last of the Uzumaki clan, barring the wife of the First Hokage, Mito-Sama, who still lives in this village today, as such, you are the only one we can trust," he sighed again, looking as old as he really was.

"With Mito-Sama's life fading, you are the only one who can take on her burden, as Uzumaki Shinobi are genetically predisposed for the special job you have to take on". Bethany clenched her fists in her lap, just get on with it already, damn it! Sarutobi looked up at her, his expression mournful, but unwavering, "Kushina-Chan, you have been brought here to become the second Jinchuriki of Kyuubi" Bethany felt the breath get knocked out of her, and the room began to spin. Honestly, she knew that this would probably happen, that she would become Kurama's new Jinchuriki, but hearing it out loud, and so bluntly- "I understand this is probably a lot to take in, but please understand, without you, this village might not survive the war, you are vitally important to the lives of everyone in this village, Kushina-Chan". Bethany lowered her head, "so, I'm just a tool to be used for the sake of this village," she took a shaky breath, "not even a Kunoichi, and my life is already forfeit" Paul frowned, why did this have to happen to his daughter?

She shivered once, then looked up, her eyes wavering with uncertainty, "I understand, Hokage-Sama, but if you don't mind, I have a favour to ask" she explained about the other 25 people in the forest that needed a place to stay, "very well, they will be given apartments in the village, and I will send ANBU to come and collect you tomorrow as Mito-Sama wishes to speak with you before the transfer" Bethany nodded and bowed, Paul doing the same, before both got up and left the office to head back to the forests of Konoha, their lives about to be drastically changed.

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

It was the day after Bethany's talk with the Hokage, and she was waiting with the others in the forest for the ANBU who would come to get her. Bethany wouldn't say it, but she was worried, she really wasn't sure if she would be able to protect the village from Kurama, not to mention she really wanted to become friends with the giant fox, but wasn't sure if she should, as that was Naruto's job. She sighed, she didn't know what to do. "Kushina Uzumaki?" the presence made itself known with a quiet monotone voice.

Bethany yelped inwardly, but forced the panic out of her heart, turning around to face the speaker calmly. It was an ANBU with a fox decorated mask. How ironic. Bethany nodded her head, nervousness clear on her face, "hai, that's me!" she tried to smile confidently, but her attempts were drowned out by the overwhelming dread she felt in her heart. The ANBU nodded shortly, and he took Bethany's hand. The redhead took one last look at the other players in the forest, before the fox masked ANBU shushined away with her.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

When they arrived at their destination, Bethany shook her head, who knew that being shushined could make a person dizzy? She would have to work on that once she learned shushin. When she could see clearly again, she saw that she was standing in front of a large door, inscribed with the Uzumaki spiral. Bethany took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The room was big, what she would expect for the wife of the first Hokage. The walls were cream colour, and the floor was a rich purple. Sitting on a Queen sized bed was an old woman with long brown hair that probably reached the floor when she stood up, but was stopped by the bed.

She was fairly wrinkly, but not overly so and had a black diamond shape on her forehead. The woman was wearing a simple white kimono, with a black Obi around her waist. When she saw Bethany, she smiled gently, "so, you are Kushina-Chan then?" she asked softly. Bethany shuffled nervously, "yes, Mito-Sama" The older Uzumaki held out her arms, "it's alright, come here" she said. Bethany slowly walked over to her. When she reached Mito, the woman took her right hand and held it with both of hers. Smiling up at her, Mito continued, "It's nice to finally meet one of my clansmen again after such a long time". Bethany didn't know what it was, but tears began to build up in her eyes, and she collapsed to her knees, sobbing into the old woman's lap- she was so afraid.

As she cried, Mito continued hold her hand in her own, and began to stroke Bethany's hair softly with the other. Slowly Bethany's sobs began to lessen, and she calmed down. "Like you, I was brought here to be the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails, I can understand how you must feel, being forced to leave your home and come to a strange land, how scared you must have been," Bethany drew in a wavering breath, "You don't have to hide it, you can tell me the truth," the young girl looked up at her avatar's relative, she felt like family to her now too, "yes" she said quietly, she didn't even know the half of it! Mito seemed to accept her answer, "now, listen closely, it's true that we must live as vessels of the Nine Tails, and that he is full of hate, but there is one way to overcome that hatred," Bethany stared up at the kind woman, who smiled serenely at her.

"That is by filling ourselves with love first," Bethany smiled and dried her eyes, "by filling our hearts with love, it can stop the Kyuubi's hatred from overwhelming us, and destroying our spirits" suddenly, Bethany frowned, "but I haven't got anyone like that, I just got to the village after all" she said sadly. Mito closed her eyes, "maybe you haven't yet, but you will one day, and that love will save you, as it did me" the young woman's frown slowly became a small smile.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Bethany spent the rest of the day with her virtual relative, knowing that she wouldn't have long to spend with her. To her immense surprise and happiness, Mito believed her when she told her about the real world, "yes, I've recently been having dreams about the world you've described, and you as well, I saw you, a young woman, short, but beautiful, with fairly long brown hair and hazel coloured eyes, turn into my relative, Kushina Uzumaki," she explained. Bethany just soaked up every word spoken by the old woman, "at first I thought the dreams didn't mean anything, and I ignored them, but after what you've told me, I now know that world to be real".

Bethany looked worried, "do you think we'll ever get home, Mito-Sama? not that I don't like this world or anything, it's just-" she bit her lip, "you're afraid," Mito said softly. Bethany lowered her head, "yes, afraid for my sake, the other 25, and all the villagers who don't even remember the real world, I mean, programs don't even notice anything wrong with the fact that all the main characters are children, even the ones who are meant to be adults," She paused, and looked at the old woman, "that reminds me Mito-Sama, aren't you just a program, created by the game for the sake of the storyline?" she asked, confused. The elder Uzumaki simply smiled, "anything's possible" she said, with a mysterious glint in her eye. Bethany cocked her head to the side in confusion. Suddenly the Third Hokage walked in. Bethany turned to face him as he bowed to Mito, "I'm truly sorry, but we have to do the transfer now" he explained, causing Bethany's heart to jump with fear, so soon?

Mito placed her hand on the little girls shoulder, making her turn to face the elderly woman with worried eyes, "it will be okay Kushina-Chan, now, shall we go?" she asked lightly, extending her hand to the girl. Bethany smiled gratefully, and took Mito's hand gently in her own. Then they followed the Third Hokage out of the room and down the hall.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Paul looked worriedly up at the sky, Bethany had been gone for so long now, he hoped that she was okay.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Mito and Bethany were led down many corridors and hallways, through rooms- they walked so long and travelled so complexly, that Bethany was sure that she would get lost if she tried to find her way back to Mito-Sama's room by herself. Eventually, they stopped at a wall lined with ANBU guards, and incredibly complex sealing formulas inscribed onto it. The Third cut his thumb with a kunai knife then pressed the bleeding appendage to the wall. It seemed like Hiruzen's blood was absorbed into the stone, and the seals glowed red for a moment.

When the glow faded, the wall began to shift, moving aside to show a dimly lit room with four torches glowing on the walls, and two large tables with chains on them. Bethany gulped, and gently pulled on the sleeve of the older Uzumaki's robe. Mito looked down at her, "yes, Kushina-Chan, what is it?" she asked softly. Bethany cringed, "this is really going to hurt, isn't it?' she asked. Mito frowned, and looked forward again, "yes, Kushina-Chan, I'm afraid so". Hiruzen held out his arm, "please enter," he said, "and I'm going to need you to take off your shirts" Bethany cringed again but complied. Once she was topless, the little girl climbed onto one of the tables. It was made of marble, and very cold. She shivered as Mito-Sama was helped onto the other table. After they were both laying flat, The third began drawing a complex seal on Bethany's stomach.

Bethany desperately tried not to shiver, as the cold ink touched her flesh. Once Hiruzen had finished, he proceeded to lock the chained shackles onto both women's arms and legs. Bethany trembled violently, both from the cold and from fear, who knew that virtual reality could feel so real? The third Hokage looked both of them over one last time, "are you ready for this?" he asked. Bethany nodded, "it's not like I have a choice, I only hope the pain's not too bad" she said, worriedly. Hiruzen nodded, and began to form a long sequence of hand seals. The young woman twisted slightly, so she could see Mito, "Mito-Sama?" she called softly.

The old woman looked over at the other girl. Bethany bit her lip, "it was a pleasure to meet you, thank you, for everything" Mito smiled, "you're very welcome, Kushina-Chan" "SEAL!" the third exclaimed. The sealing formula on Mito Uzumaki's stomach disappeared with a resounding crack, causing the woman to gasp in sudden pain. "Mito-Sama!" Bethany exclaimed, but her train of thought was cut off as excruciating pain, more than she'd ever felt before shot throughout her entire body. Bethany screamed in agony, twisting violently on the table, trying anything just to make the pain stop. But the Nine Tails chakra was massive and it needed a few minutes to completely seal away.

After a few more moments of torture, the pain finally stopped, leaving her with a dull throbbing, aching feeling in her stomach. Bethany gasped and panted, tears of agony flowing down her face. Her last thought was: _'damn those programmer bastards for making pain feel so realistic'_ then she sank into blissful unconsciousness.

To Be Continued


	4. Chapter 4

Bethany woke up on a bed, she didn't know where she was, but she was definitely not in the forest anymore. Looking around the room, she thought it was very nice. She was lying on a large queen sized bed with the softest blankets and sheets she'd ever felt. Moving around, she felt the bed shift beneath her. _'Wait a minute, this is a water bed'_ she thought. Bethany sighed in satisfaction, she hadn't laid on a water bed in years. The young red-head stared up at the ceiling, it was painted with light blue and pink and gold clouds, just like the sky at dawn.

Slowly sitting up, Bethany saw the rest of the room was large and decorated in the same way as the ceiling. She blinked, _'Where am I?'_ she wondered, looking around nervously. Suddenly the door opened. Bethany gasped, and shot around, only to sigh in relief as she saw the Hokage walk into the room with a tray in his hands, "oh good, you're awake" he said, smiling at her. Bethany watched as he placed the tray down in front of her. Hot chocolate, along with cheesy scrambled eggs on toast. Just looking at it made her mouth water. That's when she realised that her energy levels were really low. She was starving! "Hokage-Sama, how long was I out?" she asked, immediately taking a bite of toast. Damn, how can virtual food taste so good?!

"About three days" Hiruzen said, causing Bethany to choke on her scrambled eggs. Three days?! What the hell! "how could I have been out for three days Dattebene!?" she exclaimed, looking at the Hokage with wide eyes. She became frantic, "what happened to Mito-Sama? Are the others alright? where are they? Where am I?!" she exclaimed hurriedly. Hiruzen held up his hand, "in order, Mito-Sama is fine, but she's going to be sleeping for a long while yet, your friends have been brought into the village and are fine, they're here in this house waiting for you, and as for your final question, you're all in the Senju clan compound, as it is technically also the Uzumaki clan compound, and will be living here from now on" Bethany simply stared at the old man in complete shock.

"But I thought Mito-Sama was nearing the end of her life, that's why I had to become the Kyuubi's new Jinchuriki?" she asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. The Sandamine frowned, "that's the strange thing, during the transfer, it seems that some of your chakra and life force was sent to Mito-Sama, while the Kyuubi was sealed inside you" he explained. Bethany blinked, "So I got the fox, and Mito-Sama got some of my life?" Hiruzen nodded, "freaky" Bethany shivered slightly. Hiruzen took a breath, "There is one more thing I want to discuss with you before I take you to see your friends, Kushina-Chan" he said, as the young red-head finished her food and sipped on her Hot chocolate. Bethany nodded, waiting for him to speak. The Sandamine smiled softly, "you see, the Ninja Academy is starting soon, and I was wondering if you would like to enter?" he asked.

Bethany furrowed her eyebrows, "what about the others?" she asked. The third nodded his head, "of course, I will be asking them as well, but while the opportunity presents itself, would you like to be a Kunoichi of the Leaf?" he asked seriously. The young girl lowered her head in thought for a few moments, before she looked up again, eyes blazing, "Hai, Hokage-Sama, I would very much like to join the Academy" she said, no uncertainty what-so-ever. Hiruzen smiled when he saw the flames light in her eyes. Only just got to the Leaf Village, and already she possessed the will of fire. This girl would defiantly go far in the ninja world, he was sure of it.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Bethany was led to a room by the Hokage, who left once he was sure she was fine. She took a deep breath. What would the others think now? Would they hate her once they knew what she held? She was sure her father wouldn't. Oh well, she would just have to wing it. Pushing open the door, Bethany waited for a reaction. Her father rushed at her, enveloping her in his arms, "I was so worried about you, are you alright?" he asked, his voice muffled by her hair and clothes. Bethany nodded, as the others surrounded them. "Yes, I'm fine, don't worry" she said softly, as the door closed with a small 'click'. Paul smiled, "that's a relief" Just then, the Orochimaru character spoke up: "Kushina-Chan, what happened to you?" he asked worriedly.

Bethany looked around at the other players. Well, they were all in the same boat here, and if they were going to be working together to clear this game, then she may as well tell them now, otherwise it might cause problems later if they found out about the Nine Tails on their own. She gestured for them to listen closely, then explained about the Uzumaki bloodline, the Kyuubi, about how they all thought Mito-Sama was going to die, but didn't, and finally, about how she became the second Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox in the game.

Almost everyone was shocked speechless. They'd had no idea something like this was going to happen. "But, why didn't you tell us?" asked the character who looked like Kakashi. Bethany sighed "well, at first, I wasn't sure if it was even going to happen, 'ttebane, then when the Third told me that day when I went to ask him about houses for us all, well, I was shocked, to say the least," Bethany paused, clenching her fist, "I was angry, and upset that I was nothing more than a weapon to these people, a human sacrifice, I didn't have any say in it at all!" slamming her fist on the tables surface, she choked through the tears that had very recently welled up in her eyes: "I hadn't even come close to becoming a ninja yet, and my life was already forfeit, damn it!" Bethany sat there for a moment, sobbing helplessly. Everyone just stared in sadness, at their strong and powerful leader, reduced to a sobbing, broken mass in the chair.

Bethany dried her eyes, "but there's no use dwelling on it, I'm a Jinchuriki now, and there's nothing I can do to change that, honestly, I started this game knowing that I would probably have to become the Nine Tails Jinchuriki host sooner or later, but still, I didn't expect such a shock, and I certainly didn't think this would happen so early into the game" she sighed and looked up, "oh well, I have to get on with my life and we have finish this game as soon as possible, once we do, we can all go back to our lives," Bethany stared each and every one of the 26 in the eyes, her expression a mixture between determination and- fear. Never before had anyone seen Bethany so afraid in the game, except for Mito- and it made them feel a little- stronger for some reason. Perhaps because it showed that the red-head was still human, and had weaknesses, just like them. But unlike them, she was able to overcome those weaknesses, and become stronger for it.

That determination to fight through her fears, gave the others the same will and strength. As Bethany looked around at the faces of those around her, she noticed, with a great deal of joy and pride that the people who had been afraid and unsure before, now had new spark's in their eyes. It was not quite the will of fire, at least, not just yet, but those sparks were the beginnings of a great strength that hope would soon be born from. Yes, they would get free, she was sure of it.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Two days after she'd become Kurama's new Jinchuriki, Bethany was in the Senju clans dojo. To keep people from coming into the room unwanted, there was a seal on the door. Opening her menu, the young girl went to her items list, and clicked on the icon that read: Item 1, Item type: weapon, subcategory weapon type: Gunbai, weapon quality: excellent. As she clicked on the War Fan, a summoning circle appeared on the floor. Bethany shrugged, for all the people who didn't know that this was a game, she guessed that just having the sword appear out of thin air wouldn't make much sense. Well, for a ninja world at least.

The red-head pressed her hand to the jutsu circle, "summoning Jutsu!" she called. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, there was her Gunbai, looking just as awesome as before and ready to go. "Huh, who knew using items was so complicated?" Bethany grinned, but man was it a cool looking weapon! The little girl thought for a moment, then stood with her legs apart, in a low crouch. She started with the Gunbai held out the way Kirito held his from Sword Art Online. Then she brought it forwards in a horizontal slash. A few more quick slashes, paries, and blocks, and the girl thought that she was getting the hang of the way to fight with her new War Fan.

Self-teaching herself with this was working out to be pretty easy, she wondered if her Daddy would end up creating a special style of fighting for his Tachi. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The Gunbai vanished in a puff of smoke, and Bethany went and opened the door. Paul stood there, looking sheepish, "hey, can I come in, I wanted to practice with my Tachi" Bethany nodded, and stepped aside to allow her father into the room. Once the door was closed, Paul looked a little confused, "um," he looked around, then rubbed the back of his head, looking at Bethany. The red-head smiled, "here, I'll show you how to get it". She then explained the process she went through, showing her father how to find the weapons that were stored in his item menu. Once Paul had summoned his Tachi, Bethany sat down to watch him train and to get some rest.

After a few minutes, there was another knock at the door. Bethany sighed in slight frustration, what was with everyone coming to the dojo today? Paul released his summoning, and his sword disappeared. The young Uzumaki stood up and walked over to the sliding wooden door. Upon opening it, she saw Minato standing there. He looked up when the door opened and smiled at her, "hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that lunch is almost ready" he said. Bethany nodded, and she and her father followed after the blond boy.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

As the 26 all sat around the large table in the dining room of the Senju-Clan compound, Bethany spoke up above the chatter of the others, "excuse me everyone, I have something to say," almost instantly, all noise ceased. Despite only having been in the game for six days, the 26 comp winners all knew that when Kushina had something to say, you listened. Bethany took a deep breath, "the Hokage has told me that he has arranged for me to enter into the Ninja Academy, and has requested that I ask all of you whether you would like to as well," she paused to allow this to sink in, then continued speaking, "I won't assume anything, so I'll ask you now, do any of you want to enter the Ninja Academy?" Bethany's question was met with silence at first, then a flurry of 'yes's' and, 'of course's'. The young Uzumaki smiled.

"Alright then, I'll go tell the Sandamine, and in two day's time, we'll all enter the Ninja Academy" Bethany nodded. They would all become outstanding Shinobi and Kunoichi of Konoha, she was sure of it.

To Be Continued


	5. Chapter 5

Bethany took a deep breath. Today was the day. Today, everyone would be entering the Ninja Academy. Unfortunately the young girl didn't know if her class would have any of the other 26 in it or not. The teacher led her into the class, where everyone else was already waiting. Looking around, the young Uzumaki knew she had been right. There were hardly any of the 26 in the classroom. Well, except for Minato. "Attention everyone, today we're getting another new student," having the eyes of everyone else in the room on her made Bethany self-conscious. "My name's Kushina Uzumaki, Dattebene!" she exclaimed. The young girl turned beet red and lowered her fringe, so it shadowed her eyes. "Hey, hey, look at her hair, what person would go out with hair like that?!" one boy in the middle row exclaimed.

"Yeah, how do get it that red anyway?" another asked his friend. Bethany looked at her hair, or, at least her virtual version of it. It was still as long and as red as it was the day she first started this game. So what if nobody liked it, Kushina's hair was awesome!

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Unfortunately, Bethany was forced to spend the whole of first period theory ignoring the snickers, taunts and insults sent her way. At one point she became so mad that she snapped her pencil in half. That was when she started radiating KI, or killing intent. Who wouldn't, after hearing the near constant flow of whispers about how: _the new girl is so stupid, how can she not know the answer to that_ or, _I heard from my parents that people with bright hair colours are the ones who will always be dumb_. Such was the intensity of her rage and hatred that the teacher actually started backing away in fear and some of the more weak-willed students ran out of the classroom with their hand over their mouths, desperately trying to keep from throwing up on the floor.

Finally the lunch bell rang, and Bethany quickly got out of her seat, intending to escape out to the fresh air. Unfortunately, if luck did exist, it was defiantly not on her side. She was cornered by three boys at the back of the classroom. One of them, possibly the leader of the little group pointed at her: "tomato!" he exclaimed, "you have a fat round face and that ugly red hair, just like a tomato!" the boys all snickered at her, "I hate tomato's, their disgusting!" one complained, sticking out his tongue as if to show how much he hated the fruit, "me too, I never have it in my salad!" another said. The leader grinned evilly, "as if a tomato that everyone hates could ever become a respected Shinobi!" all three of them began laughing. Bethany blushed in anger, radiating so much killer intent that one girl in the front of the class actually wet herself.

The main boy grabbed her hair and pulled on it, "look, you're getting ripper, tomato!" Bethany's hand shot out and took hold of his wrist in a death grip, twisting it painfully and forcing him to release her. "Listen, you brat, I hate tomato's too unless they're in pasta, Dattebene, and if you ever call me tomato again, I will kill you!" she exclaimed, throwing the boy into the front of the class, so he landed on the ground with an audible: crash! Bethany leaped over the desks and proceeded to beat the boy to within an inch of his life.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Bethany was walking home at the end of the school day with her father. Within two hours in the Academy, she was already known as the Red Hot Habanero, and her reputation was that she would beat all the boys to death. The red-head didn't care about that, she just hoped that her time in the Academy would be a little more bearable from now on. Paul, being in a different class to her, didn't know a thing about what had been going on that day. "So, Bethy, how was your day?" he asked cheerfully. Suddenly Paul stopped and shivered. Turning around with a look of dread on his face, Paul noticed that his daughter was crouched on the ground with an aura of deep depression emanating off of her. The older Middleton sweat-dropped, "that bad, huh?" When Bethany looked up, Paul could swear she was dead inside. The look in her eyes was so lifeless and blank, that it caused the white haired boy to become worried, "uh, y-you okay, Bethany?" he asked, kneeling down next to her.

Bethany took a deep breath then sighed, "I just wish the others didn't hate me so much" she said sadly. Bethany looked up when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Paul smiled comfortingly at his daughter, "not everyone hates you, so you should just ignore the percentage who are idiots, you are strong Bethany, and if those other kids don't see that, then too bad for them," Bethany grinned and nodded, "you're right!" she stood up and started walking again. Paul followed behind her. As they were walking through the forest, Bethany saw the same boy who'd called her a tomato before walk out from behind a tree in front of her. Paul narrowed his eyes and watched as a taller boy with a Leaf Village Headband walked up next to the other boy.

Bethany glared at them, "what do you want?" she asked indignantly, "get lost brats, we have places to be!" she called, but didn't move an inch. The older boy smirked, "are you the girl who made my kid brother cry?" he asked. Bethany growled, "so what if I am? It's his fault, if he and the other boys didn't make fun of me, I wouldn't get so angry, Dattebene, besides, what would you do if someone made fun of you just because you're different?!" she exclaimed. Paul looked around worriedly. They were completely alone, and despite having some skills with their swords, this boy was too strong for them to fight at the moment. The older boy pointed at his headband, "I'm a Genin, cool huh?" he asked, walking forward while cracking his knuckles, "I have to teach anyone who bullies my little brother a lesson" Bethany readied herself for a fight.

The older boy shot forward, aiming to punch the girl in the stomach. Bethany dodged by jumping straight up into the trees. The other boy followed, while Paul jumped behind them at a slower pace. As Bethany jumped to another tree branch, the boy that was following her threw a kunai at her back. Bethany caught the glint of the blade as it shot towards her, and twisted her body to avoid it, landing on the tree and gripping the kunai. After pulling the short blade out of the bark, the red-head pushed off of the tree, spun around in mid air and landed on the ground. Upon landing, Bethany looked up, ready to fight back, only to find the clearing in front of her empty. _'What?'_ she thought, looking around for her adversary. Feeling a presence behind her, the young girl spun around, only to get hit in the neck with a knife hand.

Letting out a yelp of pain, Bethany suddenly felt a foot connect with her back, knocking her to the ground. As she came to her forearms and knees, the young Uzumaki was distracted by a strong grip taking hold of her hair, and yanking her up to her knees. It was at that time that Paul finally caught up with his daughter. He gasped, and could only watch as Bethany was tormented right in front of him. Bethany gritted her teeth and shut her eyes as her hair was continuously pulled, and pain shot through head. "Look at this, this hair is too red, and stiff like straw, hair like this is ugly," the older boy taunted, pulling tighter. Bethany gasped and opened her eyes as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "Huh, a great Shinobi, you? You're nothing but a kid, a weakling like you could never be anything more than that, a weakling, you're worthless, no one wants you, no one needs you, you should just disappear!"

Paul couldn't take it anymore, and leapt at the older boy. Being a newly entered Academy student, he knew that he didn't stand much of a chance, but at least he might be able to distract the Genin so that his daughter could escape. Thankfully it worked, not by much, but enough to cause him to loosen his hold on Bethany's hair. The young Uzumaki pulled away quickly, and, shooting to her feet, she spun around, and punched the older boy in the face, knocking him to the ground, "you, what do you know about me? About my pain? You don't know anything, anything! Just leave me alone!" she cried, choking on a sob. The young girl slowly got up, her face clouded with pain. She lowered her head and bit her lip. Meanwhile the older boy had stood up, "outsider!" he exclaimed. The young girl felt her eyes burning with unshed tears. Panting, the Genin boy sneered at her, "you'll never be worth anything, outsider!" he spat. Then he ran off, leaving Bethany to her tears.

Paul ran up to his daughter as soon as he was sure the other boy had left. "Bethany, are you okay?" he asked, looking her over. The young girl gave a teary nod, "y-yeah, I'm fine, let's just get home" she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

To Be Continued


	6. Chapter 6

It had been close to three years since the game started. The annual graduation exam for the Ninja Academy was starting today, and only a few people could actually pass it. Bethany Middleton walked down the Academy hallways that she had become so familiar with. Her long red hair falling down her back, and moving gently as she walked. _'I have to do this,'_ she thought, clenching her left fist tightly at her side, _'I have to become a Shinobi, It's the only real way I'm going to beat this game!'_ despite only being Nine years old in the game, Bethany was determined to graduate today. She wanted to get back to the real world as soon as possible.

She knew that it would probably take longer than three years for some of the 26 to even graduate the Academy, let alone become strong enough to reach level 1000. Bethany stopped at the door to her classroom. Before she entered, the girl glanced over at her skill level. It read 505. She'd defiantly been busy these past few years. And that wasn't even counting her skills in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu. The young girl took a deep breath, _'I will graduate, no matter what!'_ she though fiercely, as she pushed the door open. Everyone was already there. Bethany wondered if any of the other 26 would be able to graduate today. She walked over and took her seat, waiting for the teacher to get there.

Thankfully, it only took about five minutes after she had gotten to the classroom for the teacher to get there as well. The Chunin stood at the front of the class and cleared his throat, "alright everyone, quiet down" he called over the chatter of the other students. The effect was instantaneous. The room hushed as everyone's attention was now fully on the Chunin in front of them. Bethany sat waiting for the man to speak, "alright now, as you know, today is the graduation exam, and those of you who pass today will become Shinobi and Kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village, and fight alongside everyone to protect it," some people grinned in anticipation, "but, unfortunately, there are only a certain number of Jonin who can train you, so their will only be about three teams actually formed," cries of outrage began to fly around the room, causing the teacher to gain a tick mark on the side of his head.

"Everyone shut up!" he shouted. Once again everyone quieted instantly. Bethany snickered, how many times would it take for them to learn their lesson? The teacher took a breath and released it in a sigh, "now, when I call your name, come into the next room, and I'll administer your exam, Aiko Kuramatsu" One by one the other students left the room, and either came back in with a headband or a depressed look on their face. Bethany tuned out most of the other students. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she didn't. Most of them were NPC's, or Non-Player Characters, they couldn't die, even if they wanted too. But the 26 of them could, and there were only two of them in the whole class, her, and Minato. "Kushina Uzumaki" Bethany's head perked up upon hearing her character's name being called. The young red-head took a deep breath and rose from her seat.

She both hoped she would pass and prayed that she wouldn't. It's true that graduation meant getting stronger faster, but graduation also meant more danger, and the possibility of actually dying. She hadn't admitted this to anyone, not even her father, but she was terrified of dying in this game. She didn't want to die, not like that at least. Bethany shook her head as she approached the door to the room where the test would be administered. _'Well'_ she thought, _'here goes everything'_ and entered through the door.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

The young red-haired girl walked out of the testing room with a grin of triumph, her new leaf village head-band proudly displayed on her forehead. _'I did it!'_ she thought, _'I'm a Kunoichi now!'_ looking around, she saw that the only other graduate in her class that she knew was Minato. The teacher spoke up then, "congratulations to all those who passed, those people will need to come back here tomorrow to get assigned to their team and meet their new squad leader, for those of you who failed, you may try again in next year's class, understood?" he asked looking around at everyone. "Hai, Sensei!" everyone said simultaneously.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

The next day Kushina and Minato returned to the Academy. When they got to their classroom, every other student was their waiting in their seats. "I will now announce the teams, team 1-" the red-haired Uzumaki tuned him out until he got to team 6: "team 6, Kushina Uzumaki," Bethany perked up, "Itachi Uchiha," she raised an eyebrow, and looked around. Their he was. A seven year old Itachi sitting in the top row. The boy was every bit as stoic as the normal Itachi. It was no wonder. Bethany remembered that the character competition was specially created to fit the takers with their ideal matches. So the person who was playing as Itachi seemed to be a lot like the man himself.

"And Hashirama Senju, your Sensei is Neji Hyuuga" Kushina's eyes widened, her teammates were the character versions of the First Hokage and the Uchiha Prodigy? While her Sensei was Neji Hyuuga? That was- not what she expected. After the other teams were announced, the Chunin Sensei left the classroom after telling them to wait for their Jonin Sensei's. Kushina was about to stand and go meet Itachi, before a brown blur appeared before her. The Uzumaki jumped before calming down, "hello their Kushina-Chan, so, we're going to be teammates, that was lucky, don't you think so?" Hashirama asked, with a wide grin. Kushina smiled, "yeah, this is going to be fun Dattebene!" she replied, before blushing. It was fine when she was in the real world and saying it for fun, but it was slightly embarrassing in this game, this world.

The brown-haired boy tilted his head to the side, before grinning again, "so, we'll grab Itachi-Kun, then get to know each other a bit more, after all, who knows how long Neji-Sensei will take to get here, and I'm feeling a little hungry" he suggested. Kushina pumped her fist, "let's go to Ichiraku's and get Ramen!" she said. Hashirama nodded, "sounds great" he replied. The two walked up the steps to where Itachi was sitting. The Uchiha heard them coming and looked up, "yes Senju-San, Uzumaki-San?" he asked. "Wanna go get some Ramen and introduce ourselves while we wait for Sensei?" Kushina asked. Itachi stared at them for a moment, before nodding, "alright" he replied.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

 _(Meanwhile, with 'Jiriya')_ Paul Middleton, or rather, Jiriya, was sitting in his class, waiting for his Sensei to tell them who their teammates and Sensei was. "Alright, team 7, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, Team 8-," the white-haired boy tuned him out until he heard his name, "team 9, Jiriya, Orochimaru and Tsunade Senju, your Sensei is Hiruzen Sarutobi". Jiriya's eyes widened. His team was the same as in the anime! And the third Hokage was really his Sensei! That was surprising. He also wondered who Bethany's teammates and Sensei were, but decided that he'd ask her when they met up later today. Just then a man opened the door and walked into the room. Jiriya's eyes widened. It _was_ Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Team 9, please follow me" he stated, before walking away. The white-haired man looked at his teammates, two of the other competition winners who looked back at him, before they all stood up and followed 'the Professor' out of the classroom. Paul stared at the Third Hokage's back, he hadn't really changed much from three years ago, when he and Bethany had first met the man, though he did look a little older. Once they got to the roof, the group of four sat down, "okay, now, since we are a team now, I want you to tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams for the future". Paul decided to go first, "well, my name is Jiriya, I like reading, my friends, _'my daughter'_ training to protect them, I hate anyone who would harm them and my home, my hobbies- reading and spending time with my friends _'and my daughter as well'_ my dream- _'to go home'_ to help someone precious to me achieve her dream, no matter what" he stared ahead with determined eyes, _'I will help Bethany achieve her dream of protecting everyone and getting us out of this world safely'_ he thought to himself.

Hiruzen nodded, "good, next," he turned to Orochimaru. The pale black-haired boy stared at him board, "my name is Orochimaru, I like reading and creating Jutsu, I hate people who torment and hurt others for fun. My hobbies are studying reptiles and reading. I also like spending time with my friends. And my dream- I suppose to explore this world and find out everything there is to know about it and Chakra" Orochimaru finished. "Okay, and last?" the Sarutobi said, turning to Tsunade. "My name is Tsunade Senju. I like learning about Medical Ninjutsu and my hobbies are visiting and sampling different Tea Shops. My dream for the future is to become the best Medical Ninja in the world so that I can keep everyone I care about safe" Tsunade finished. The Third Hokage nodded, "good, now as for me, my name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I like relaxing and spending time with my son, I hate war and death. My hobbies are studying and learning new Jutsu and my dream is for there to be peace in this world one day" Hiruzen finished.

"Tomorrow we are going to be doing a training exercise, but this one won't be like most other training-". All three of his students tuned him out after that, as they knew that they were taking the bell test tomorrow. Jiriya couldn't help but let his mind wonder over to his daughter. How _was_ Kushina doing?

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Kushina, Itachi and Hashirama were just making their way back to the classroom after a short lunch-break. None of them knew how long it would take Neji-Sensei to reach the classroom, so they were hurrying so as not to end up being late. Soon they returned and just in time for the Hyuuga to enter the room, "Team 6?" he called, eyeing the three Genin over. They all seemed to be very young, the Uzumaki girl and Senju were both only nine and the Uchiha was only seven. But to have graduated this early, Neji was sure that all three had to be prodigies. The three addressed Genin stood and went over to the Hyuuga, "hai Neji-Sensei!" they replied in unison. After eyeing the children for a moment, Neji nodded and turned, "follow me" he called over his shoulder.

The Genin followed their new Sensei obediently. The Hyuuga led them to the edge of the forest that bordered the village. Their he sat them down, "alright, what we are going to be doing first is introducing ourselves- I assume you all know how to do that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. They nodded silently. "Alright, you first" the Jounin said, pointing towards Kushina. The Uzumaki nodded and tightened her headband, "right, well, my name is Kushina Uzumaki. I like my friends and Mito-Sama, _(and Daddy)_ along with Ramen. I hate people who would abandon their friends and teammates and anyone who would hurt or threaten my home or those I love. My hobbies are training, spending time with my friends and visiting Mito-Sama. My dream- to become stronger and be able to protect everyone I love _(and to beat this game)_." The red-haired girl said.

Neji looked interested and nodded. He turned to the brown-haired boy, "My name is Hashirama Senju. I like my friends and especially my best friend Madara. My hobbies are spending time with everyone, stone-skipping with Madara at the river and tending to my bonsai at home. I hate war and the thought of killing children especially sickens me," Hashirama said with a dark look on his face, "and my dream is to become strong enough to protect those I care about and hopefully do something about all the war in this world" he finished. Neji nodded and turned towards the last team member, Itachi. "My name is Itachi Uchiha. I like peace, Dango and my friends. My hobbies are training, reading, eating Dango and spending time with my friends. I also hate war just like Hashirama and wish to be able to do something about it. My dream is to do something about all the war in this world and to help my friends with their dreams _(and to get out of this game)_ " the Uchiha said.

Neji nodded in acceptance. He then went on to explain about the Bell test for the Genin exam. Since Kushina already knew all about it, she tuned the explanation out. _'I wonder how Daddy and Minato are doing?'_ she thought to herself.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

That night everyone was having a graduation party to celebrate becoming Genin. However the Uzumaki didn't feel in the mood for a big party. So instead of going with everyone, she excused herself to go home. Mito-Sama would already be fast asleep by now she knew, so it would be just her at home pretty much. As Kushina entered the Uzumaki Compound she noticed the storm brewing in the sky, "oh great, why did it have to storm tonight?" she mumbled. As she opened the door to her house and entered it she sighed, "oh, I'm so tired, it was defiantly a good idea to leave the party early" the Uzumaki muttered. She walked past the living room but froze suddenly. Something was wrong.

The red-haired Kunoichi turned to her attention towards the room, feeling unease wash over her. As Kushina looked around the darkened sitting space another flash of thunder illuminated the forms of four men just as they moved from the shadows of the furniture. The virtual Uzumaki's eyes widened in terror and she bolted. Kushina ran down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her, "someone! Someone please help me!" she screamed as the enemy Ninja pursued, "Daddy! Someone! Help!" she screamed just as the Shinobi leapt and tackled her to the floor. The red-haired girl tried to fight back, but she was too exhausted to be of much use and soon the adult Shinobi had the girl tied and captured.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Kushina stared at the ground as three Shinobi walked in single file in front of her and two behind her, the one holding the rope that tied her wrists behind her forcing her to move forwards. The nine year old Kunoichi shivered from the cold night air and her stomach growled with hunger. She'd intended to make herself something for dinner when she'd gotten home, but these Cloud Shinobi had grabbed her before she'd had a chance. The red-haired girl looked across at the status bars that were in the corner of her vision. They zoomed in as soon as she turned her attention to them. The Uzumaki instantly noticed how the bar representing her energy levels was more than halfway empty already. The young girl was scared. She may have been a Ninja now, but it had only been one day.

Kushina was paying so little attention to where she was walked that she tripped on a stone in the dusty pathway. The red-head cried out as she slammed into the ground roughly. She was so tired. Before the enemy Ninja managed to force her back to her feet again, the girl managed to pull out a few strands of her long red hair. Kushina dropped them on the ground before she was dragged into a standing position again. _'Daddy, someone, please- save me!'_ she begged in her mind.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Hours had passed and Kushina was starving and weak. It was all she could do to place one foot in front of the other as her vision faded in and out. Her energy levels were dangerously low and her stomach ached. They were reaching the border of the Land Of Fire, or at least she thought they were. The Uzumaki's awareness had faded so much that at this point she wouldn't have been able to dodge an attack even if it was right in front of her eyes. Kushina had prayed that someone would notice her absence, and come to her rescue. But no one had come and she was rapidly losing what little hope she had left.

Suddenly a warm and gentle voice that she immediately recognised spoke up from in front of her, "are you alright?" The red-haired girl glanced up as the moon shone down over them and saw Minato standing in front of her. Kushina felt herself go limp with relief. Literally, she almost straight-up collapsed from exhaustion, but the blond boy shot forwards and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. Minato picked her up into his arms after swiftly cutting her ropes and leapt to the trees. When he landed in the top of one, Kushina stared up at him. The blond smiled softly, but with concern in his eyes "are you alright?" he asked again. The Virtual Uzumaki sighed, "if being starving and exhausted to the point of collapse counts as _'alright'_ then yeah, I'm fine!" she muttered. "Your father and the others were all very worried about you when no one could find you in the compound" Minato said softly. She looked up, "then why aren't they here?" she asked weakly.

"The Hokage wouldn't allow it- he sent out his best ANBU, but it seems like no one was able to track the Iwa Shinobi that kidnapped you" the blond boy explained. Kushina looked away. But suddenly noticed something red in Minato's hand, "that's-" she paused, and looked up at the boy again, "you really noticed all my hairs on the ground?" she asked curiously. "Of course I did, your hair is beautiful Kushina, why wouldn't I notice it?" he replied. The virtual Uzumaki looked away, "you know that's not even my real hair colour- I don't look anything like this" she muttered. "That's fine, because then you'd be completely unique, both in looks and in personality- and I'm sure that whatever you look lie in real life, is just as beautiful as you are now- not to mention you have a lot of inner strength too I'm sure" Minato replied. The Uzumaki blushed. She'd never been called beautiful by anyone other than her family before.

"Now, are you ready to go home Kushina-Chan?" the Namikaze asked gently. Kushina nodded and wrapped her arms around her saviour, "mhm, more than ready" she replied softly. Before the blond had even made five leaps down the tree, Kushina was already sound asleep in his arms.

To Be Continued


	7. Chapter 7

Upon reaching the village once more, Kushina was taken to the hospital for a check of her condition. She thankfully didn't have any injuries, but her Chakra and hunger levels were still dangerously low. The staff cooked up a full meal for her with everything she'd need and told her to eat and rest for a while. As she was eating, Minato stepped out to speak to the Hokage. Probably to let the man know what had happened. The Uzumaki Genin did her best to relax after she'd finished her meal, but she couldn't help but feel on edge. Understandable since she'd just been kidnapped, and a good response for a Ninja to have, but still. Kushina couldn't help the tremors that wracked her body, or feeling nervous every time a Nurse walked in.

Eventually the blond Genin returned with the young Sarutobi. The Uzumaki's attention snapped towards the door as it opened, and relaxed slightly as her savour entered. She relaxed even more as Minato came over and sat next to her on her bed. The two smiled at each other for a moment, before turning their attention to their leader, who settled himself in the chair. Hiruzen smiled slightly, "how are you feeling Kushina-Chan?" he asked once everyone seemed to be comfortable. The red-haired girl frowned, "honestly Hokage-Sama? I'm still very on edge after what just happened- I mean I was kidnapped from my own _house_ a few hours ago for Kami's sake! Where the heck were all the ANBU that were supposed to be guarding me? What, were they all on a toilet break or something!?" she demanded. The Sarutobi frowned with a bit more force than usual, "what do you mean?" he asked. Kushina scoffed, "oh please, you really think I believe that time with the ANBU taking me to Mito-Sama what the only time you've had them watching me? Watching _us_?"

The girl paused for breath, "you've had them watching us ever since we all came here, even more-so since I became the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki, and yet not one of them acted while I was being kidnapped? When I was screaming for help _while_ I was being kidnapped? And what about while I was being taken from the village? So you're telling me, that not even a single ANBU, Hyuuga or Inuzuka could track me, even when I left a highly visible trail of my hair behind? What were they all doing? Why is it that I had to rely on my _Genin_ friends to come and save me, rather than the Shinobi of my own Village? Why was Minato-Kun the _only_ Shinobi to find and rescue me, _only after we'd nearly crossed the border of the Land Of Fire!?"_ Kushina gasped for breath after her long-winded interrogation-rant. She was trembling. The terror she'd felt at that time was too much for a nine-year old girl to handle. It was still too much for her.

Any child, Shinobi or civilian would have been left traumatized after such an event. And maybe in hindsight, it wasn't such a god thing for her to have chewed out the Hokage, but she was _stressed damn it!_ After she was somewhat calm again, Hiruzen cleared his throat, "now Kushina-Chan, I _did_ have ANBU guarding you- and we'll discuss exactly _how_ you know that they should have been later- but I did have ANBU guards surrounding the perimeter of your Compound, all of whom should have neutralised any threat to your well-being should such an event have occurred" the old man replied calmly. The virtual Uzumaki's eyes widened. What? There had been ANBU guarding her Clan compound the whole time? Then why hadn't any of them come to her aid when those Hidden Cloud Shinobi had grabbed her? Then maybe- Kushina gasped and turned to face her leader.

"What if- it was an inside job?" she asked faintly. The two male's eyes widened. "This is just a theory, but if someone in the village wanted to get rid of me for whatever reason, then having another village kidnap me would easily do so, as well as move any suspicion or blame off of them and to the apparent guilty party" she explained. The Hokage frowned, "but why would anyone what to do that? getting rid of our village's Jinchuriki would be an idiotic thing to do, not to mention just how moronic an idea it is to hand you over to another Village!" he exclaimed, but seemed to be deep in thought as well. "That's true, but I'm sure some Shinobi in this village don't like the idea of a child keeping the Nine Tails at bay and are worried about it escaping, not to mention I am an outsider after all-" she looked down, "I can't be trusted to be 100% loyal to Konoha, what if I snap and let the monster loose? I'm sure many of them think that as well" the girl replied sadly, clenching her hand around the folds of her sheet.

"Kushina-Chan, that's not true, we _do_ trust you. We wouldn't have let you become a Ninja otherwise" The Third Hokage tried, but Kushina scoffed, "oh yeah, as _if_ the Shinobi Council would have ever let me be anything **_but_** a Ninja. I am not stupid! I _know_ that politics is a big part of running _any_ Village, I just wish more of them could hide their **_stupidity better!_** " the Uzumaki panted as she finished her rant. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away, "just leave me alone, both of you," Hiruzen and Minato seemed to be about to speak, before the red-haired girl spoke up again, "please, just- go. I need some time to myself after everything that happened" the Uzumaki said. Hiruzen nodded, "alright then" he replied softly, standing up to leave. Minato frowned in concern, "Kushina" he said softly, trying to reach for her hand. The Kunoichi flinched away and buried her face into the pillow more, "Minato, please" she begged.

The blond Shinobi closed his eyes for a moment, before retracting his hand and standing up, "alright, I'll go. Someone's gotta let the others know you're fine, huh?" he asked. The Uzumaki stayed silent. Minato quietly left the room, looking depressed. As he reached the Hokage's side, he felt the man place his hand on his shoulder. The Namikaze looked up at the old Shinobi, "Hokage-Sama?" he asked, "I know that look, it's how I always used to look at my wife. Kushina has been through a lot. Just give her some time. She may return your feelings yet" Sarutobi said. As Hiruzen began to walk away, Minato bowed, "thank you for all your help" he replied.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

The blond Ninja was on his way back to their compound. Extra ANBU were now stationed around the building. As he walked he couldn't help but think about what had just happened at the hospital. He knew that Kushina was under a lot of stress, and that she needed time to recover. But he couldn't help but feel like she was rejecting him. Minato shook his head. She just wanted some time to herself, to relax and recuperate, and yet he felt like the world was falling apart? He knew that he had feelings for the girl. Had for years now. In fact he'd gotten a crush on her the moment he first saw her step up to calm everyone down when they'd first gotten trapped in this game. Slowly, as he stealthily observed her, he felt his feelings grow from admiration to something more.

Maybe it wasn't love yet, and maybe Kushina didn't love him, but it was 'something'. He had hoped that maybe their leader felt that same 'something' for him as well. Maybe she did. But right now, after being kidnapped, taken away from her father (as he had noticed her calling Jiriya Daddy sometimes when she thought others weren't looking), starved and terrified of what was going to happen to her, now was not the time. However, with them being on different Genin teams now, Minato couldn't help but wonder just how much time the two of them had to turn 'something' into possible love. He shook his head as he reached the Uzumaki Compound. Time to face the panic, relief and endless questions he was sure that he was going to face from all their friends.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

When he got back home, Minato was swarmed by the others, just as he predicted. Jiriya was right up front, gripping the boy tightly by the shoulders, "where is she? Where is my daughter?!" he demanded. The blond boy sighed and waited for everyone to calm down, before turning to the white-haired Genin, "Kushina is fine physically, she is currently resting in the hospital. But as for mentally and emotionally- I don't know. It might take a while for her to recover for everything" Minato explained. "She's in the hospital? I'm going to see her!" Jiriya exclaimed, beginning to rush off, but the Namikaze caught his arm, "wait, Kushina is very traumatized right now, she said she wanted to be left alone" he explained.

The boy whirled on him, "maybe she wants some space from _you_ , who never did anything while she was being bullied in the Academy, but what makes you think that she'd want me to stay away? _I'm her father!_ " he snarled. Minato regarded Jiriya calmly, "that is true, but did you go to her when she was being kidnapped? Did you try to find her when she needed help? Did you try in any way to save Kushina when she needed you the most?" he asked. The white-haired Genin growled, "what are you trying to say brat!?" he demanded to know. The blond boy kept his gaze and voice calm, "I'm just saying that your daughter might need to some alone time from _you_ as well as everyone else after what happened tonight" he replied.

The man-in-a-boys-body tried to come up with a retort for that, but couldn't think of anything, so he simply tore his arm out of the other boy's grip with a huff of frustration and stormed away. Minato sighed, he prayed that everything wouldn't fall apart while their leader was in the hospital.

 ** _ŅŴŔ_**

Kushina meanwhile was trying to meditate in an effort to overcome the turmoil that still gripped her mind and heart. It was something that Mito-Sama had taught her over the years. As she mediated, the girl found herself within her Mindscape. Another thing she had discovered since becoming Kurama's Jinchuriki, was that, much like Mito-Sama, it was highly probable that Kurama himself was an AI of some kind. She opened her eyes, finding herself in her mind, which was basically like the anime's version of Kushina's Mindscape. She had tried to change the layout of it, mostly to make the giant fox that she was now sharing a body with more comfortable, however, she had discovered that to affect anything within her mind, she needed "Mental Skill Points" much like her normal Skills. However, the only way to gain these Points was to meditate and train within her mind often, and she just didn't have the time with everything else.

So unfortunately her "Mental Skill Points" were only up to 20. Not nearly enough to alter her Mindscape. Stepping up to the huge moon that her Tenant was bound to, Kushina called up: _"hey Kurama! How're you doing up their?!"_ The giant AI Biju shifted slightly and opened his eyes. Two blood red slitted eyes stared down at the girl. He huffed, **_"how do you think I am brat, I've got theses damned stakes stabbing into my body!?"_** Kurama replied curtly. The girl winced, _"you know I'd try to help more with that if I had the time, but I have to make getting out of this game my number one priority"_ she replied sympathetically. The Biju rolled his eyes, **_"yeah, yeah, I know. So, how was your first taste of the world out there? A little more 'real' than you'd thought a Virtual Word could be, huh?"_** The fox asked. Kushina shifted uncomfortably and wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through her body.

 _"I was so scared back their Kurama. I didn't know what to do. If Minato-Kun hadn't come and rescued me-"_ the girl paused. _"After all my training, I thought I'd gotten stronger. I thought- that I was at least a bit closer to getting us out of here, but-"_ she looked up at the Kyuubi, _"it wasn't enough._ _ **I**_ _wasn't strong enough."_ Kushina clenched her hands around her arms, _"If I'm not even strong enough to face that, how can I ever hope to become strong enough to beat this game and free everyone? We're all Ninja now. What happens when we start going on missions? We're bound to only have D-Rank mission to start off with, but we'll move up eventually. If someone dies here- I promised everyone we'd all get home! I promised! But I don't know what to do. I'm not strong, I'm just a young woman pretending to be a Kunoichi! I-I'm so scared that I or someone else will die in this game!"_ she looked up at her partner, a look of desperation in her eyes, _"what do I do Kurama? How do I protect everyone and get them all home safely?"_ she asked.

The Kyuubi shook his head, **_"I don't know Kit, but we'll figure it out. Together"_** Kushina stared at the fox for a moment, before nodding, _'right, together'_.

To Be Continued


End file.
